Brutuses,

I thought it might be better to post this in a different thread than my 6-yo permanent marker disaster thread, to be sure you would see it.

First of all, after moving into our new home and living with the paint colors (previous home had all white walls), I have to say that I am really loving the colors a lot. They add so much. I was concerned that the red in the kitchen might be too bold, but it's not, and we really like it and get a lot of compliments on it. I got the idea for the red (SW Flower Pot) from a showcase home tour where one of the homes used it in the kitchen. It was striking in that home. So, I figured, why try to reinvent the wheel? It probably looks a bit more brick-ish red than bright red in real life, versus the brighter color it appears in the pictures, although, it does appear differently during variuous times of the day, in different lighting. Anyway, I think this is a great color, and if you use it, I would bet you'll love it too.

The color in our great room, which opens to the kitchen, is not SW Ivoire, but BM Wilmington Tan (although the Ivoire would look good too, I'm sure). We haven't purchased any furniture yet, and we're still using our old microfiber stuff. This is partly due to budget and partly do to uncertainty on our part as to what we're really looking for.

We're thinking that furniture with dark brown tones will pick up the colors in the fireplace and blend well with the wall colors in the kitchen and great room. Also, we'd like to incorporate red accents in that room, to coordinate with the kitchen. Black and gold would probably work in the scheme too. What do you think?

To answer your question about the master bath tub surround, it is real wood beaded board. It was painted by the same company that did our cabinetry throughout the house, so it matches.

I am posting some pictures below, again, and if you have ideas as to furniture for the great room, I'm all ears. Good luck with your project! Please post pictures.

Jan